Feeding slide arrangement for rock drilling



p 20, 1956 s. L. YTTERFORS ETAL 3,273,553

FEEDING SLIDE ARRANGEMENT FOR ROCK DRILLING MACHINES OR THE LIKE FiledMarch 6, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I Fig. 2 3

pt 0. 9 s. L. YTTERFORS ETAL 3,

FEEDING SLIDE ARRANGEMENT FOR ROCK DRILLING MACHINES OR THE LIKE FiledMarch 6, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent M 3,273,658 FEEDINGSLIDE ARRANGEMENT FOR ROCK DRILLING MACHINES OR THE LIKE Sven LaurentiusYtterfors and like Eugn Jansson, Nacka, Sweden, assignors to Atlas CopcoAktiebolag, Nacka, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Filed Mar. 6, 1962,Ser. No. 177,872 Claims priority, application Sweden, Mar. 16, 1961,2,801/ 61 9 Claims. (Cl. 173-141) This invention relates to feedingdevices for rock drilling machines or the like, and more particularly toa feeding slide arrangement in which the rock drilling machine ismovably arranged on guiding means on a feed bar and is fed and retractedalong the guiding means by means of a driving device of suit-able type,for example a power driven feed screw and a feed nut.

Previously the drilling machine and especially its cylinder have beenformed integrally with ribs or guiding flanges intended for guidingengagement with the guiding means of the feed bar. The disadvantage ofthis arrangement is that the flanges normally wear down before thecylinder as such is used up, which means only a partial utilization ofthe available operable life of the cylinder.

In a more advantageous alternative the flanks therefore have been placedon a special slide, to which the cylinder of the drilling machine isattached by means of suitable connecting ears, standards, and connectingbolts. The vibrations of the drilling machine and the difficulty inproviding a rigid tightening by means of the bolts, however, reduce thevalue of the advantages gained by this solution.

A drawback which is inherent in the integral flange arrangement on thecylinder as well as in the disposition of the flanges on a specialslide, is the fact that as Wear arises during use a gradually increasingpart of the weight of the drilling machine will act directly on thedriving device. The consequences for example for a feed screw will be anaccelerated Wear of the threads and in the case of a feed cylinder anincreased wear of the cylinder surfaces.

It is the object of the invention to eliminate the above mentioneddisadvantages. For these and other purposes according to the inventionthere is provided a drilling machine on a slide, and a wedge connectionbetween said drilling machine and said slide and incorporating a lockingwedge for fixedly attaching said drilling machine to said slide, withthe locking wedge being arranged to provide the sole locking meansbetween the drilling machine and the slide.

The elimination of standards, connecting ears and bolts leads to aconsiderable gain as regards the weight. The wedge arrangement makespossible an extremely quick and secure mounting of the drilling machineon the slide and in an especially advantageous embodiment there is inconnection with the insertion of the locking wedge brought about a selfaligning of the drilling machine in the direction of drilling. Thedriving device in connection with the invention will be fully relievedfrom the weight of the drilling machine even in case of heavy wear ofthe guiding flanges, through which fact there is gained an increasedoperable life of the feeding device and its drive. Additionally nomoments of flexure are transmitted in connection with the invention tothe screw as a result of Wear causing slanting position of the slide inits guiding means.

The invention will be described more in detail hereinafter with the helpof the accompanying drawings, which in FIG. 1 show .a vertical sectionthrough a feeding slide arrangement according to the invention. FIG. 2shows Patented Sept. 20, 1966 a section substantially on line IIII inFIG. 1. FIG. 3 shows a section on line III-III in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 shows asection of a modified arrangement and corresponding to FIG. 3. FIG. 5shows a locking wedge used in connection with the invention. FIG. 6,finally, shows a modified locking wedge.

In the figures, 1 designates a feed bar for a rock drilling machineintended to be used together with a conventional drill rig of anysuitable construction. The feed bar 1 may for example be of aluminum. Bymeans of bolts, not shown, there are aflixed to the feed bar 1 suitableprofile irons or steel guideways 2 extending in parallel spaced apartrelation along the feed bar 1, and providing a guiding means for thefeeding and retraction of a drilling machine along the feed bar. Forsuch feeding and retraction there may be provided on the feed bar aconventional power feed of any suitable well known construction. In theembodiment shown a feed screw 3 is journalled in well-known manner atthe ends of the feed bar 1 and may 'be driven by a rotating air motor,not shown. Displaceably arranged along the feed screw 3 is a feed nut 4,which by means of an end not 5 is connected to a driving body 6. Thedriving body 6 is provided with a pivot 7 projecting vertically inupward direction.

Displaceably arranged on the guideways 2 is a slide 8 which is providedwith a central opening 9 into which the pivot 7 of the driving body 6projects slidably. The pivot 7 extends perpendicular to the slide 8. Onthe plane slide 8 there is provided a stepped elevation 10 the front andrear steps of which are formed by dovetail surfaces 11 and 12, which areinclined vertically in a manner to form an acute angle with the slide 8.The dovetail surface 12 also has a slight horizontal inclination withrespect to the dovetail surface 11, FIG. 3.

Of the drilling machine, which may be of any suitable conventionalconstruction, for example a compressed air driven percussive drill, inthe figures there is shown only the cylinder 13, and the parts of thedrilling machine are joined by means of side bolts 14, FIG. 2. Thecylinder 13 rests at a bottom surface against the stepped elevation 10and the slide 8 and is provided with opposed dovetail surfaces 16 and17. Of these dovetail surfaces one, 16, directly engages the dovetailsurface 11 of the slide 8, while between the dovetail surface 12 of theslide and the dovetail surface 17 of the cylinder, which owing to thehorizontal inclination of the surface 12 taper laterally, there isinterposed a locking Wedge 18 of rhombic cross section, which tightlyfits between the tape-ring dovetail surfaces 12 and 17, thereby firmlylocking the cylinder 13 and the drilling machine to the slide 8 againstrelative movement in the longitudinal as well as the transversedirection of the slide. Obviously the wedge 18 forms the sole lockingmeans to be inserted in order to perform such locking between thedrilling machine and the slide. The locking wedge 18 extendstransversely with respect to the feed bar 1 and is in locked positionnormally disposed between the upper edges of the opposed guideways 2,which form retaining means for the wedge 18 in locked position. In orderto make possible the insertion or removal of the Wedge 18 between orfrom the dovetail surfaces 12 and 17, there are provided at one end ofthe feed bar 1 recesses 19, FIG. 3, in the upper portion of theguideways 2, which recesses allow lateral insertion of the wedge 18. Assoon as the slide has been moved away from this position in thedirection of the other end of the feed bar 1, the locking wedge 18 willbe retained in a secured position between the guideways 2 and cannot betaken or shaken out until the slide has been returned to the endposition in which the recesses 19 are aligned with the wedge 18.

The modification according to FIG, 4 shows transverse dovetail surfaces20, 21 in the slide 8 and the cylinder 13, respectively, which are areshaped and allow, when the wedge 18 is loosened, turning of the drillingmachine on said surfaces on an upright axis through the common center ofthe radii defining the are shaped dovetail surfaces 20, 21. Thearrangement of the wedge 18 and the cooperating dovetail surfaces 12, 17is such, that tight insection of the wedge 18 will turn the drillingmachine to provide automatic self alignment thereof in the correctdirection of drilling.

The wedge 18 may, as shown in FIG. 5, be formed with even surfaces,alternatively the wedge according to FIG. 6 may be formed with a centralsurface of contact 23 at one side and at the opposite side with twosurfaces of contact 24, 25 adjacent the ends of the wedge 18. The wedgeportions adjoining the surfaces 23, 24, 25 are 'formed with reducedthickness and are resilient in a manner to place the wedge underconsiderable precompression between the dovetail surfaces 12 and 17 inorder to provide a secure grip and insensibility to vibrations.

The power driven driving device consisting of the feed screw 3, the feednut 4, the end nut 5, and the driving body 6 is by means of the pivot 7in axially slidable and pivotal engagement with the opening 9 of theslide 8 in a manner to create free movability between the slide and thedriving device in directions perpendicular to the slide 8 as well asswingability on the pivot 7. Thus, in connection with wearing down ofthe parts of the slide 8 which cooperate with the guideways 2, theweight of the drilling machine obviously will not be able to deform thefeed screw, whereby undue wear of the screw is avoided. The circularengagement by means of a pivot between the driving device and the slide8 additionally gives the slide freedom to occupy misaligned positions inthe guideways 2 without there being transmitted any moments to the feedscrew 3 to cause increased wear. The pivot may of course alternativelyform a part of the slide, in which case the cooperating opening makingpossible free axial movement of the pivot has to be provided on thedriving body 6.

Obviously the axially slidable engagement by means of a pivot and anopening cooperating therewith may with equal results be used togetherwith other power driven driving devices, for example in connection withfeed cylinders.

The embodiments of the invention above described and illustrated in thedrawings should only be considered as examples and the invention may bemodified in several different ways within the scope of the followingclaims.

What we claim is:

1. A feeding slide arrangement for rock drilling machines or the likecomprising a feed bar, spaced apart guideways extending in parallelrelation along said feed bar, a slide movable along said feed bar onsaid guideways, a driving device on said feed bar for feeding andretracting said slide along said guideways, a drilling machine on saidslide, a first pair of dovetail surfaces in opposed arrangement on saiddrilling machine, a second pair of dovetail surfaces in opposedarrangement of said slide and extending transversely to said guidewaysand substantially co-planar with the upper edges thereof, one dovetailsurface of said first pair being in engagement upon assembly with onedovetail surface of said second pair while the said second dovetailsurface of the said first pair is not in engagement with the said seconddovetail surface of the said second pair leaving a space therebetween,and a removable locking wedge insertable in the said space between thesaid second two dovetail surfaces of said pairs providing the sole meansfor fixedly locking said drilling machine to said slide.

2. A feeding arrangement for rock drilling machines -or the likecomprising a feed bar, spaced apart guiding -means extending in parallelrelation along said feed bar,

a slide movable along said feed bar on said guiding means,

a driving device on said feed bar for feeding and retracting said slidealong said guiding means, a drilling machine on said slide, a first pairof transverse dovetail surfaces in opposed arrangement on said drillingmachine, a second pair of transverse dovetail surfaces in opposedarrangement on said slide, one dovetail surface of said first pair beingin engagement upon assembly with one dovetail surface of said secondpair while the said second dovetail surface of the said first pair isnot in engagement with the said second dovetail surface of said secondpair leaving a space therebetween, a removable looking wedge insertablein said space between the said second two dovetail surfaces of saidpairs transversely of said slide and guiding means and providing thesole means for fixedly locking said drilling machine to said slide, andretaining means on said feed bar including elongated retaining edgesextending along said feed bar adjacent the outer ends of said lockingwedge for retaining said locking wedge in locked position duringreciprocation of said slide on said feed bar.

3. A feeding slide arrangement for rock drilling machines or the likecomprising a feed bar, spaced apart guiding means extending in parallelrelation along said feed bar, a slide movable along said feed bar onsaid guiding means, power drive means on said feed bar and including adriving member for feeding and retracting said slide along said guidingmeans, a drilling machine, means for fixedly attaching said drillingmachine to said slide, and pivot means engaged between said slide andsaid member and extending perpendicularly to said slide for providingfree axial movability as well as swingability between said slide andsaid member about the axis of said pivot means.

4. In a feeding apparatus of the character described for feeding andretracting a rock drill toward and away from a surface to be worked andhaving a feed bar with parallel opposed spaced apart guiding meansdisposed thereon, a slide movable along said feed bar in said guidingmeans for supporting said rock drill, and driving means in said feed baradjacent said slide for the reciprocation thereof along said guidingmeans, the combination which comprises a first pair of opposed dovetailsurfaces on said rock drill to be fed and retracted, a second pair ofopposed dovetail surfaces on said slide, one dovetail surface of eachpair being arc-shaped and in engagement with the other upon assembly ofsaid rock drill on said slide while the said second dovetail surface ofthe said first pair is not in engagement with the said second dovetailsurface of the said second pair leaving a space therebetween, and meansinsertable in said space between the said second two dovetail surfacesof the said pairs providing the sole means for fixedly locking saiddrilling machine to said slide and for automatically centering andpositioning said rock drill parallel to said guiding means.

5. In a feeding apparatus of the character described for feeding andretracting a rock drill toward and away from a surface to be worked andhaving a feed bar with parallel opposed spaced apart guiding meansdisposed thereon, a slide movable along said feed bar and said guidingmeans for supporting said rock drill, and driving means in said feed baradjacent said slide for the reciprocation thereof along said guidingmeans, the combination which comprises a first pair of opposed dovetailsurfaces on said rock drill to be fed and retracted, a second pair ofopposed dovetail surfaces on said slide, both said pairs of opposeddovetail surfaces being transverse to said feed bar and one dovetailsurface of each pair being arc-shaped and in engagement with the otherupon assembly of said rock drill on said slide while the second saiddovetail surface of the said first pair is not in engagement with thesaid second dovetail surface of the said second pair leaving a spacetherebetween, and a removable locking wedge insertable in said spacebetween machine to said slide and for automatically centering andpositioning said rock drill parallel to said guiding means, and raisedaxial edge portions along said guiding means and adjacent opposite endsof said locking wedge for retaining said locking wedge in positionduring reciprocation of said slide.

6.In a feeding apparatus of the character described for feeding andretracting a device toward and away from a surface to be worked andhaving a feeding bar with parallel opposed spaced apart guiding meansdisposed thereon, a slide movable along said feed bar in said guidingmeans for supporting said device and having a cylindrical vertical boredisposed centrally thereof, and reversible power means disposed at oneend of said feed bar, the combination which comprises a feed screwrotatably disposed in said feed bar below said guiding means andconnected to said power means for the rotation thereof, a feed nutdisposed on said feed screw and movable therealong upon rotationthereof, a vertical cylindrical pivot disposed on the top of said feednut and extending into said bore in said slide providing for slidingvertical movement between said slide and said feed nut, and meansdisposed between said slide and said device to be fed and retracted forfixedly attaching said device to said slide.

7. In a feeding apparatus of the character described for feeding andretracting a device toward and away from a surface to be worked andhaving a feed bar with parallel opposed spaced apart guideways disposedthereon, a slide movable along said feeding bar in said guideways forsupporting said device, and driving means in said feed bar adjacent saidslide for the reciprocation thereof along said guideways, thecombination which comprises a notch disposed on said device at one endthereof, a ridge transverse to said guideways and disposed on said slideat the end thereof adjacent said notch for engagement therewith uponassembly of said apparatus for preventing relative vertical movementbetween said slide and said device, an engaging surface on said devicespaced from and in the same horizontal plane as said notch and inclinedaway from the vertical axis of said apparatus, an engaging surface onsaid slide spaced from and in the same horizontal plane as said ridgeand inclined toward said vertical axis, said engaging surfaces uponassembly of said device op posing each other with a tapered shaped spacedisposed therebetween, wedge means insertable in said space for urgingsaid notch and said ridge into firm engagement, and said ridge and saidengaging surface on said slide being co-planar with the upper edges ofsaid guideways for retaining said device against lateral movement duringreciprocation of said slide.

8. Apparatus as recited in claim 7 in which said wedge means is a singletapered wedge with opposed inclined surfaces forcooperating with saidinclined engaging surfaces on said device and said slide.

9. A feeding slide arrangement for rock drilling machines as set forthin claim 2 in which said retaining means are formed by opposed raisededge portions of said guiding means, with a lateral recess adjacent oneend thereof for insertion and removal of said locking wedge.

References Cited by the Exammer UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,109,695 9/1914Mosler et al 18936 1,113,531 10/1914 Ballet al 173-43 1,181,701 5/1916Van der Velde 74424.8 1,358,889 11/1920 Smith 74-424.8 1,528,610 5/1925Hackett 173141 1,635,934 7/1927 Gilman 173-141 2,094,353 9/1937 Gartin173-143 FOREIGN PATENTS 20,608 1908 Great Britain. 986,160 3/1911France.

FRED C. MATTERN, JR., Primary Examiner.

BROUGHTON G. DURHAM, MILTON KAUFMAN,

Examiners.

D. FAULCONER, L. P. KESSLER, Assistant Examiners.

1. A FEEDING SLIDE ARRANGEMENT FOR ROCK DRILLING MACHINES OR THE LIKECOMPRISING A FEED BAR, SPACED APART GUIDEWAYS EXTENDING IN PARALLELRELATION ALONG SAID FEED BAR, A DRIVING DEVICE ON SAID FEED BAR FORFEEDING AND WAYS, A DRIVING DEVICE ON SAID FEED BAR FOR FEEDING ANDRETRACTING SAID SLIDE ALONG SAID GUIDEWAYS, A DRILLING MACHINE ON SAIDSLIDE, A FIRST PAIR OF DOVETAIL SURFACES IN OPPOSED ARRANGEMENT ON SAIDDRILLING MACHINE, A SECOND PAIR OF DOVETAIL SURFACES ON OPPOSEDARRANGEMENT OF SAID SLIDE AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY TO SAID GUIDEWAYSAND SUBSTANTIALLY CO-PLANAR WITH THE UPPER EDGES THEREOF, ONE DOVETAILSURFACE OF SAID FIRST PAIR BEING IN ENGAGEMENT UPON ASSEMBLY WITH ONEDOVETAIL SURFACE OF THE SAID PAIR WHILE THE SAID SECOND DOVETAIL SURFACEOF SAID SECOND FIRST PAIR IS NOT IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SAID SECONDDOVETAIL SURFACE OF THE SAID SECOND PAIR LEAVING A SPACE THEREBETWEEN,AND A REMOVABLE LOCKING WEDGE INSERTABLE IN THE SAID SPACE BETWEEN THESAID SECOND TWO DOVETAIL SURFACES OF SAID PAIRS PROVIDING THE SOLE MEANSFOR FIXEDLY LOCKING SAID DRILLING MACHINE TO SAID SLIDE.